


Moments of Time

by bleedinglight



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Growing Old, M/M, Reincarnation, Yandere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25776691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleedinglight/pseuds/bleedinglight
Summary: Various one-shots featuring Ephemer/Ventus!
Relationships: Ephemer/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It begins and ends with looking at stars.

_“Look at the stars, Eph!”_

Ephemer closed his eyes, an ache forming in his chest.

The night was quiet. The sky was clear, revealing an endless array of twinkling lights. To anyone, it was a perfect night. Nothing seemed to come out of it. No darkness lurking from inside. But they all knew better.

Their world was crumbling down around them as the gods throw their fit. It had caused their world to crumble, to tremble before it finally began to break down. Monsters roamed the land. Humans began turning against each other. It was a massacre and everyone who was left was struggling to at least see another day. They all knew that living for so long, being able to keep on going forward, was all they could really do. No one knew how much time they had left. But what really made it worse was the revelation that whatever was happening to their world was caused by Darkness – a sentient being known to cause mayhem wherever it went. And it had chosen to destroy them.

He paused, looking up at the stars.

They were his comfort.

_He couldn’t help but laugh as Ventus tugged him out, the stars bright above them._

_“Come on, Eph! You’re going to miss it!”_

_“Miss what?”_

_“The star shower!”_

Ephemer knew better now.

He swallowed and continued walking, letting his feet lead him to where he had to be. To where he was supposed to go.

To whom he was supposed to meet.

It didn’t take long before he finally arrived at the cliff edge, eyes staring at the back of the person who held his heart for so long. The ring on their fingers gleaming faintly in the starlight.

“Ventus.”

_“Will you marry me?” Ephemer asked suddenly, breaking the silence between them. It had Ventus pausing, startled. But then he laughed—_

_His smile was brighter than any star._

_“Yes, of course!”_

Ventus was looking up at the stars before he finally turned his head to face him.

Ephemer’s heart broke at the sight. Ventus was crying, but his eyes, once a beautiful blue were now a bright gold, and his tears were thin rivers of blood instead.

“Eph…” Ventus whimpered.

Darkness had chosen Ventus as its host. Its medium. The gods were cruel, forcing Ephemer to take on the role of having to kill his beloved. After all, Darkness can only be killed by its other half: Light.

Ephemer took a step forward. “Ven, it’s okay. I’m—”

“I know,” the younger man whispered. “It’s okay.”

“Ven…”

Sniffling, Ventus smiled at Ephemer, no matter how strained it was. Even from this distance, the older man could see the way Ventus was desperately trying to hold himself back. Hold Darkness back. It made him wonder if Ventus knew all along about who would be sent to kill him.

To be forced to run him through in order to end this pain and suffering.

Ephemer walked closer to his husband, ignoring the pained whimpers as he reached out to cup his cheek with his left hand. He closed his eyes as he pressed their foreheads together, wanting to bask in the warmth of his husband one more time. Ventus’ whimpers and muffled cries broke his heart and he could feel the way he twitched under his touch as if trying to continue to hold back the monster inside of him. It made his own eyes water behind his eyelids, but he forced himself not to cry.

He had to do this.

Everyone was counting on him.

One life for the lives of many.

But how could they ever expect Ephemer to be okay with this? To do this? The gods knew and he knew they cast a spell on him to force him to do the job anyway. It was either he did it out of his own will or they would take that away from him, too.

Pulling away, he kissed Ventus’ forehead.

“I love you, Ventus.”

“I love you, Eph…”

“Look at the stars for me?”

Ephemer moved so that he can bury his face into the crook of Ventus’ neck while the blond looked up. He inhaled his scent one more time—just a final time. Then, all it took was a quick second before he felt warmth on his hand and Ventus growing slack in his hold. His tears finally fell and he choked back his sobs.

_“I’ll make a new star for you and only for you. You’ll become the biggest and brightest star there is.”_

_“Together, we’ll discover new stars and give them life.”_

_“You’re my sun, Ven. You always will be.”_


	2. Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Older now, returning to a place they visited as a kid.

The years had passed.

How long had it been now?

Now grown, Ventus can only walk down the faintly familiar forest path. He looked up, watching the foliage rustle in the wind, the faint smell of cedar greeting him. Summer was the only time he could ever come back to this place. Life often kept him busy now, forcing him to go this way or that. But he can feel the ache beginning to settle in his bones, feel the way his body begin to slow down.

Years.

Ventus lived a long life, if he thought about it. Happy and long.

He got to grow up and make friends. He was able to live happily, watch everyone he loved have a family of their own. He grew up, getting married to his childhood friend.

They were all old now.

Living life even as life continued to try to knock them down. Grew up to have families, watching them start their own families and the cycle would keep on going. That was how was it was nowadays. With the current generation finally having their own lives, their own families waiting for them, it left the older generations time to figure out how to spend the rest of _their_ lives. They all lived happily.

Though Ventus was forced to watch his husband die, old age finally catching up to him.

It hurt.

He grieved.

He mourned.

And then Ventus found himself back to their old haunting grounds. A forest in the far back of town where no one ever really traveled. It was quiet and peaceful.

It was nice.

Ventus groaned softly as he finally sat down on a tree stump, letting his weary bones rest. He looked up at the sky as a breeze came through, eyes closing.

_“You came back.”_

His eyes opened at the sound of his voice, and he smiled.

“I promised, didn’t I? When I was ready, I’d come back here.”

A laugh greeted him.

A gentle hand touched his.

_“I proposed to you here. I remember when you said yes.”_

Ventus smiled, looking over to the lake that glistened in the sunlight, a waterfall serving as a beautiful backdrop. It was a place they often played at when they were kids. Always sneaking out to spend time with each other even in the dead of night.

It was their sanctuary.

Their home.

“I’ll still say yes to you, Ephemer.”

Ephemer smiled as he appeared behind Ventus, sitting on that tree stump. _“I’m glad. But…we still have more time to spend with each other.”_

“You’re right.” Ventus sighed softly, eyes closing as he slowly began to relax. He can feel his bones ache. He was growing weary. “Will you be with me?”

_“Always.”_

Ventus smiled softly, letting himself be tugged into the gentle embrace of his husband for the final time.


	3. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone being haunted by their past mistakes.

He should’ve known better.

This was how it always started.

But not once did he ever think of the possibility that every choice he made back then would end up leading to _this_. It was a nightmare. It was something he had only seen in the depths of darkness that tugged at him in his sleep.

Blood displayed like a macabre painting. Bodies torn asunder, limbs everywhere.

It was haunting.

It was terrifying.

Ephemer could never imagine anything happening like this. Not when he first talked to that person. But now it came to this and here he was, paying the price of his naivety. All he ever wanted to do was reach out his hand, trying to help someone else in need. Never did he expect it would lead to obsession. Never did he expect that the one who ended up turning to Darkness was someone he had to worry about. Now it all came to this.

And he didn’t have time to dwell on his regrets.

His breathing was harsh, ragged from the exertion he put himself through. Running from one place to another in hopes he would be able to reach them in time. The whole place was on fire. It didn’t matter if this was a virtual world—it was still their _home_ , their world. Now it was on fire and crashing down. Now those whose memories were supposed to survive were dying, disintegrating into particles that were quick to fade away into existence.

This shouldn’t have happened.

But it was.

Eventually, he reached the cliff where Ava had given him his Book of Prophecies that overlooked the town. It was a place of revelations. A place where everything always seemed to change—better or worse. And there on that cliff, he found _them_ holding Ventus from the back of his shirt. His heart ached at the sight of the young Keyblade wielder. Blood coated his blond hair, covering the right side of his face. His clothes were torn, cuts and bruises marring his skin. But what got to Ephemer was the way Ventus just hung in _their_ grasp, limp like a doll.

“Player!”

Player turned their head. Their eyes were a blazing gold. Shadows seemed to swell under their feet.

“You came,” they said, their voice saccharine. It made Ephemer’s stomach twist. “Finally.”

Ephemer swallowed. “You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Oh, but I have to. It beckons me to. After all—you are the one to blame.”

The distortion in their voice made Ephemer shudder.

They were right. He was to blame. Confessed to them, believing it was the right thing to do. Let them trail behind him on his missions as a Union Leader. Then turning his back to them, telling them it was safer that way—

And then allowing himself to love and care for Ventus during their time apart.

“I’ll let you watch, Ephemer,” they purred as they lifted Ventus up from his shirt. Ventus choked a bit and Ephemer’s heart jumped into his throat. “I’ll make sure you watch.”

Ephemer’s eyes widened as a darkened Starlight Keyblade appeared in Player’s free hand.

He charged forward, his own Keyblade clutched tightly in his hand. “NO!”

The sound of Starlight’s teeth digging into flesh and pulling it away from the body echoed around them.


	4. Do-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How many lives would it take in order to fix one wrong?

_The first time, I was forced to watch you die._

_The second time, I watched you fall into the Darkness._

_The third time, I was too late to prevent you from turning your back on me._

_How many more times will I be forced to watch the light fade from your eyes?_

This was his fiftieth life.

Ventus was surprised how he could still keep up with it honestly. Most people wouldn’t even be given the chance to be reborn so many times after their first deaths, but here he was, cursed with continuously being born again and again until he can finally fix what he had done in the past.

There was no need for Keyblade Wielders. No need for Masters or Wizards or anything about the Light or Darkness. All of those eventually became fairytales, only able to live within the memories of those who remained or in words of stories that were passed down through generations. Eventually, everything became a memory—including him. The moment he died during his first (or third life?), that was when he realized everything wasn’t as it seemed anymore.

There wasn’t anything he could do.

But being born again gave him a chance to realize his mistakes.

To right the wrong he committed so many years ago.

Ventus had lied to his friends, committed murder and stained his hands crimson. He wasn’t sure what he could do to correct that wrong, but he was trying his best. But there was one person in particular that he tried so desperately to keep finding, to make sure that he was alright. That he could know how he was doing. But after what happened in his forty-ninth life—

_“Don’t touch me!”_

_“But I…”_

_“I don’t want to see you anymore.”_

_There was a screeching of tires before it rammed into that body._

He was convinced that he did nothing but bring ruin. Especially to that one person.

Especially to Ephemer.

He swallowed, catching sight of the silver-haired man across the street. He tensed, wanting to run over to him, but stopped himself. Every life, he interacted with Ephemer. Every life, he was forced to watch Ephemer die. At this point, he was convinced that he couldn’t even say hi to his old friend anymore. Not anymore. Not if he wanted to make sure he lived long in this life instead of dying early like all of the other times.

Ventus watched, his heart aching at the sight of Ephemer talking to Skuld as they crossed the street. He can see the rings adorning their fingers, two gleaming lights of silver in the sun.

Engaged.

They were engaged. Ventus knew because he did his best to keep up with the friends he had left behind, left forgotten. He was happy for them. Ephemer and Skuld deserved to be happy—

_Sweet kisses filled his nights._

_Soft whispers filled his ears._

_Sometimes he can still feel the other’s touch on his body as they laid together for the rest of the night._

Ventus closed his eyes, trying his best to ignore the pain he felt. This was right. He had to be able to let him go. That was his punishment for clinging so desperately to Ephemer throughout these years. It was all he could do to finally let them both go, released from this cycle of rebirth and curse.

_I love you, Ephemer._

_Goodbye._

_And thank you._


	5. Flower Petals

From a young age, he began collecting flowers, drying them out and then displaying them around his room. He couldn’t really explain his fascination with it, only knowing that each of these flowers were supposed to symbolize something special. Something important.

Lilies.

Roses.

Pansies.

Even camellias.

He couldn’t explain his fascination with it even if he tried. They were beautiful and their beauty had to be saved somehow. Preserved forever.

As he grew older, it became harder to preserve the flowers so he went with something easier. Something smaller. Flower petals worked the same way.

They were beautiful

But not as beautiful as Ventus when he first met him.

Ventus was a guest at their manor for Brain’s birthday party. Immediately, it was love at first sight for him. He swore it was the same for Ventus. Ephemer went out of his way to get the blond to notice him, to spend more time with him. He showed him the books filled with dried flowers, basking in the awed expression on that face. He then made sure to go out of his way to be able to spend his precious time with Ventus.

Anything to spend time with him.

But that wasn’t enough.

No, he needed more of Ventus’ time.

He needed to be around him always. Be able to bask in his beauty. His presence. That light that made him shine so much brighter than anyone else he had come across. Anyone who dared to come close were quickly rid of. They didn’t deserve him.

Not him.

Not his light.

His precious flower.

Ephemer smiled, fingers tracing down Ventus’ face. He was beautiful. So beautiful. No one else deserved him.

He’ll make sure to love him like he loved his flowers, forever a part of him. Dried and withered but oh so beautiful.


	6. Scattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter how far apart they were, they will always find a way back to each other.

It always started out the same as far as Ephemer could recall.

They would be together, only to be torn apart. Every time that happened, he could feel more and more of his memories become scattered, lost in the winds of time. Reincarnation may sound like a pleasant thing to some. Being able to live again, granted the chance of another life, was something most people could only hope for. Only wished for. But it was growing harder and harder each time to recall who he was before. The more lives he lived, the more seemed to be taken away from him. He endeavored to keep a journal with him throughout his lives, desperately recalling what stood out to him in his past lives.

And every time he looked back, Ephemer realized that all he could vividly remember was a boy with sun-kissed hair and eyes that reminded him of the deep ocean.

This lifetime was no different.

Pieces of his memories were becoming more and more like puzzle pieces that gradually became lost. Scattered. Forgotten. As much as he tried, his journals over time were lost as well. Some of them were burned by his supposed children. Others placed in museums, leaving them inaccessible to him. But even with everything gone, he can recall the young man with the blond hair and blue eyes. Every lifetime, he looked for that boy. Every lifetime, he did.

But it always ended tragically.

Death often tore them apart.

He once pushed him away out of fear of what other kind of tragedy awaited them.

In this life, Ephemer had grown up to be a successful writer, engaged to his childhood friend, Skuld. He knew she worried. His writings were often nonsensical, after all. Trapped in a loop. Recycling the same clichés. Hoping that one day, secretly, that the one he knew in his memory would come back to him again.

Eventually, it all had to end.

Skuld ended their engagement, telling him that until he could find himself, it was better to be apart. She loved him, she said, but she couldn’t keep on watching him destroy himself searching for someone who probably didn’t exist. He knew she was right. There would have to be a day where he would have to give up what he was searching for. Maybe, in the end, it would all come down to nothing.

In every lifetime, he was able to find him.

In every lifetime, their roads crossed at least once.

_I want to find you. I want to be with you._

_I need you. IneedyouIneedyouIneedyou._

_Don’t leave me alone, please._

His mind felt foggy.

It had been two years since he broke up with Skuld. He learned that she was happier now, no longer chained down to him and being dragged along with his desire. She was engaged to someone new. A man named Brain. He met him once. He was nice. He made Skuld laugh in a way that Ephemer never could. He was happy for her.

But it felt like more pieces of himself were being scrambled, pushed further away from his reach.

“Are you okay?”

That voice.

Ephemer looked up, and he felt his heart stop.

There he was.

An angel with blond hair and blue eyes.

“Ventus,” he breathed, reaching out to him. “I’ve found you. _I’ve found you_.”

It felt like everything was beginning to connect to each other once more. Pieces of a puzzle finally coming back together.

He felt whole.

He felt _right_.


	7. Untouched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is pure. It can hurt. It can wring out agony. But it can also bring joy. Delight. It is for that very reason why love is untouched by everyone.

There were stories of them.

Spread across the years.

Each story varied from one another. Each story always seemed to stray from the original.

But like every story, there was a source that it often stuck to.

A story of how two lovers.

Even if the stories differed, the beginning was always similar. How one was the wide-eyed adventurer who was always looking for a story to follow, to explore. How the other was a dreamer, born in a church with guidelines to follow. Their love wasn’t meant to be. One was free. The other bound.

But that didn’t stop the two of them from getting closer.

People often spoke of their love as if it was a tragedy.

A tale of star-crossed lovers, they said. How the church tried to keep them apart. How the world seemed determined to give these pair of lovers the most tragic of fates that would put Romeo and Juliet to shame. These stories were told in whispers at times, told in classrooms in the day. Others would often come to preach how their story would become the pinnacle of love for many.

Truly, a grand tale.

Love in its purest form.

Untouched.

Unsullied

Beautiful.

“They’re telling stories again,” Ephemer can’t help but laugh. He sat on the edge of the cliff that overlooked their precious town. “They’re funny—these humans.”

Ventus smiled, kicking his legs as he sat beside him. “They wanted to entertain themselves in some way, I guess. It doesn’t hurt to let them say whatever they want.”

“Even if in some of the stories, they claim I’m the snake that took the angel away from Heaven?” The older man looked amused. “Which I take offense to, by the way. I am no snake. Snakes are deceptive and likes to twist their words. All I ever did was be honest with you.”

“Maybe they think it’s more dramatic that way.”

Ephemer shook his head, fingers lacing together with Ventus’. “Nah. If it’s anyone who’s deceptive here, it’d be you.”

“Wow,” Ventus commented dryly. “Now _I’m_ the one who’s offended.”

“You know I love you.” Lifting up their linked hands, he kissed the back of Ventus’. “My love. My life. My Everything.”

“You’re ridiculous.” The younger man laughed.

Ephemer smiled, small and secretive as if sharing a joke between the two of them. “Yeah? So are you then. For choosing to be with this ridiculous man.”

“I never said I wasn’t.”

“Good. Because I’m not going to let you go—my Angel of Heaven.”


End file.
